Moistening attachment foe cigae oases



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet l.

0. R. RICE. MOISTENING ATTACHMENT FOR CIGAR GASES.

No. 467,708. Patented Jan. 26, 1892.

(No Model.) 2 Sheet s-Sheet 2.

O.- R. RICE. MOISTENING ATTACHMENT FOR 01mm GASES.

No. 467,708. Patented Jan. 26, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR It. RICE, OF MIEYVAUKEE, IVISOONSIN.

MOISTENING ATTACHMENT FOR CIGAR-CASES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 467,708, dated January 26, 1892.

Application filed November 1'7, 1890. $erial No. 371,726. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OSCAR R. RICE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Moistening Attachments for- Cigar-Cases; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to show-cases for displaying cigars and tobacco, and more particularly to means for keeping the goods in a properly moistened condition while being displayed in the cases; and my invention consists in certain peculiar and novel features of construction and arrangement, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a rear elevation of a portion of a cigar or tobacco show-case with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are detail views illustrating the construction of the moisture-retaining device.

The objects of my invention are to produce an attachment which shall be readily applicable to show-cases of various sizes, either such cases as are heretofore in use or to those which are constructed with especial reference to my improvements, and which shall divide the interior of such cases into compartments into which different grades of goods can be placed and subjected to varying degrees of moisture as each particular grade of goods may require. These results I attain by virtue of the construction which I will now proceed to describe.

In the said drawings, A designates a portion of a show-case for displaying cigars, tobacco, and similar goods.

13 designates a vertical partition, and O a horizontal partition, which divide the interior of the show-case into four compartments.

The horizontal partition O is composed of two portions 0 c, inclosing between them an air-space 0 the ends of said portions being inserted into rabbets in frame-strips D D, and the end, front, and top glasses a of the case being inserted into rabbets in said strip D and the upper strips of the case. Elongated openings are formed in the portions 0 c of the partition 0, and within these openings is inserted the frame D which is of U form in crosssection, and the inner edges of the sides (1 of which are bent over outwardly and then inwardly to form guides d. The edges (1 of the ends (1 of this frame are bent outwardly also, and thus, together with the outwardly-extending portions of the guides d, serve to retain said frame in position in the openings in the frame-piecesc c. The outer side of the frame D. is formed with perforations or holes (1 and at its side edges with elongated guide-flanges d, between which is located a slide F, having perforations f registering at times with the perforations d of the frame D. This slide F also carries a ring f or similar finger-piece, by which the slide is moved. Within the frame D? is placed a similarly-shaped cover E, having inwardly-extending end flanges e and side flanges 6 which lie within said frame, and having its outer side or body portion formed with holes or perforations e. A slide F, having holes f and a ring or similar finger-piece f, overlies the body portion of the cover E, the edges of said slide lying beneath the guides d, before referred to.

Between the frame D and cover E are placed a number of sheets G or a mass of absorbent material saturated with moisture, and it will be seen that by moving the slides F F more or less the moisture in the sheets G can be allowed to escape into the compartments of the show-case. In order to prevent the goods from obstructing the holes f of slide F, a number of raised bars Q extend transversely over said slide, the ends of the bars being secured to the edges of said slide.

The partition B is composed of a vertical frame, which is usually rectangular in form, but which is designed to correspond to the transverse interior contour of the show-case to which it may be applied. As shown in the drawings, this frame is composed of four L- shaped sections 72. h it its, the extremities of which are embraced by metal sheaths I, each of which is secured at one end, as by tacks or nails 5, to one of the extremities of one arm of each L-shaped section. These sheaths inclose spiral springs J, which act expansively, so as to expand the frame. Cross-pieces K extend inwardly from the upper ends of the framesections 71 7f, and sheaths I, inclosing springs J, (said parts being similar to the sheaths I and springs J above described,) connect the cross-pieces K and the lower arms of the frame-sections 7L2 7L3. Between the horizontal arms of the L-shaped frame-sections h 7L3 and the cross-pieces K is interposed a metal frame M, having perforations m and inwardly-extending guide-flanges m. A metal cover N, having perforations n and flanges n, is inserted into the open side of the frame M, and a slide 0, having openings 0 and a ring or similar hand piece-or projection 0, overlies the cover N of the frame M, its edges lying beneath the gui le-flanges m. The frame M has also guide-flanges m beneath which lie the edges of a second slide 0', having a ring 0 and perforations 0 and thus by varying the positions of the slides O O moisture can be let into one compartment. of the show-case from the other. In order to compensate for the variable positions of the frame-sections 72 71 sheet-metal plates P P are placed in pairs adjacent to opposite ends of the frame M. Sheets R or masses of absorbent material are also interposed between.

the frame M and cover N similarly-as above described With reference to the frame D and cover E. A sheet a, preferably of glass, is inclosed between the cross-pieces K K and the upper L-shaped sections h h of the vertical partition B.

From the above description it will be seen that the interior of a show-case is by myimprovement divided into a number of compartments into which different grades of goods can. b segregated from each other and that the amount of moisi'ii pp t the several grades of goods can be readily controlled by manipulations of the several slides.

It is obvious that the number of horizontal and vertical partitions and the frames and slides therefor may be varied to accord With the interior area of show-cases of difierent sizes. v

Having thus described my invention, What 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a show-case, of a perforated frame adapted for attachment to the inside of the case and provided upon its interior With absorbent material, perforated slides adj ustably connected with said frame,

and transverse supportingbars arranged 

